Latest news with #autocracy
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Fifa president Gianni Infantino is an autocrat who doesn't care about players, says head of FifPro
Gianni Infantino's 'autocracy' as Fifa president is the biggest problem facing professional footballers today, the new president of the international players' union, Sergio Marchi, has said. Marchi, from Argentina, took over the role of representing the world's professional players at a time of growing concern about the crammed football calendar. A raft of high-profile players, including Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Manchester City's Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, have publicly voiced their concerns over the past 18 months, while Infantino's new Club World Cup tournament has faced criticism for putting more demands on European players when they are meant to be resting in the summer months. Marchi made the comments in an interview with The Athletic, saying: 'The biggest obstacle to FIFPro today is the autocracy of Fifa president. 'Infantino lives in his own world, the only thing that matters to him are these grand spectacles. But he doesn't listen to the players or acknowledge their needs. But I can't sit quietly while people suffer. A lot of people told me not to speak. But I follow my convictions. I'm persistent. And I'm not afraid of power.' The Independent reported earlier this month how Fifpro was excluded from talks about player welfare. A press release from the governing body spoke of 'productive discussions' with player groups, including 'critical matters related to the International Match Calendar'. It came on the back of heavy criticism for how the Club World Cup has disrupted an already packed football schedule, leading to a FifPro legal action over how Fifa had 'unilaterally imposed' the competition on the game without proper consultation with stakeholders. Fifa has not yet commented on Marchi's remarks, but Infantino said in the wake of scrutiny over how the Club World Cup was handled: 'Every criticism that we receive is a source for us to study, to analyse, to see what we can do better.'
The Independent
7 days ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Fifa president Gianni Infantino is an autocrat who doesn't care about players, says head of FifPro
Gianni Infantino 's 'autocracy' as Fifa president is the biggest problem facing professional footballers today, the new president of the international players' union, Sergio Marchi, has said. Marchi, from Argentina, took over the role of representing the world's professional players at a time of growing concern about the crammed football calendar. A raft of high-profile players, including Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk and Manchester City 's Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, have publicly voiced their concerns over the past 18 months, while Infantino's new Club World Cup tournament has faced criticism for putting more demands on European players when they are meant to be resting in the summer months. Marchi made the comments in an interview with The Athletic, saying: 'The biggest obstacle to FIFPro today is the autocracy of Fifa president. 'Infantino lives in his own world, the only thing that matters to him are these grand spectacles. But he doesn't listen to the players or acknowledge their needs. But I can't sit quietly while people suffer. A lot of people told me not to speak. But I follow my convictions. I'm persistent. And I'm not afraid of power.' The Independent reported earlier this month how Fifpro was excluded from talks about player welfare. A press release from the governing body spoke of 'productive discussions' with player groups, including 'critical matters related to the International Match Calendar'. It came on the back of heavy criticism for how the Club World Cup has disrupted an already packed football schedule, leading to a FifPro legal action over how Fifa had 'unilaterally imposed' the competition on the game without proper consultation with stakeholders. Fifa has not yet commented on Marchi's remarks, but Infantino said in the wake of scrutiny over how the Club World Cup was handled: 'Every criticism that we receive is a source for us to study, to analyse, to see what we can do better.'
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley go rogue: best podcasts of the week
BBC broadcasting besties Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley follow those who have enjoyed new freedom in the podcast world. In a breezy series, which was nearly called 'Jo and Zo's Big Bushes', they invite listeners to ask them questions on subjects from kids to gardening, interiors, music and the menopause. What they won't be talking about, Zoe confirms, is band members they slept with in the 90s. Sorry! Hollie Richardson Widely available, episodes weekly Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock joins the BBC's space podcast for the third season's look at the space shuttle program and its attempt to create a reusable craft. Given her excitable voiceover – plus a bombastic soundtrack that could have come straight out of 24 – it's a drama-packed tale. Alexi Duggins Widely available, episodes weekly Do Donald Trump's political decisions look wild and incoherent? They're not, according to this measured, fascinating show: they're the classic moves of someone trying to establish an autocracy. Garry Kasparov, chess champ and lifelong democracy activist who lived under Putin for many years, hosts the second series of this look at the US's slide into a pseudo dictatorship. AD Widely available, episodes weekly This Emilia Fox-fronted podcast looks at shocking crimes and the locations where they were committed, from Wales to New South Wales. It's grisly, by-the-numbers stuff, beginning with the (already much-publicised) story of the Todt family, residents of a Florida town once owned by Disney who died in an alleged murder-suicide in 2019. Hannah J Davies All episodes available, Audible Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Defying segregation in the 40s and 50s, a South Carolina nightclub brought together Black and white patrons for performances by the likes of Little Richard and Ella Fitzgerald. This richly told series offers a history of Charlie's Place, where art defied racism – but which became, perhaps unsurprisingly, a target for the Ku Klux Klan. HJD Widely available, episodes weekly
New York Times
21-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
Venezuela's Authoritarian Government Has a New Target: Economists
Venezuela's autocratic president, Nicolás Maduro, has crushed the opposition, jailed judges and politicians, and even arrested American citizens to use as leverage in international negotiations. Now, he is going after a profession that has not typically been considered risky in Venezuela: economists. Experts say the government is seeking to control the narrative around Venezuela's deepening financial crisis by targeting independent experts sharing data about the country's cratering economy. Roughly two dozen economists and others involved in publishing financial data have been detained in the past two months, according to a human rights group and the Venezuelan government. 'It's essentially a shoot-the-messenger policy,' said Phil Gunson, an analyst with the International Crisis Group who has lived in Venezuela for more than two decades. The Central Bank of Venezuela for years has not released reliable data on key indicators like inflation, leaving economists to fill the gaps with independent estimates. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley go rogue: best podcasts of the week
BBC broadcasting besties Zoe Ball and Jo Whiley follow those who have enjoyed new freedom in the podcast world. In a breezy series, which was nearly called 'Jo and Zo's Big Bushes', they invite listeners to ask them questions on subjects from kids to gardening, interiors, music and the menopause. What they won't be talking about, Zoe confirms, is band members they slept with in the 90s. Sorry! Hollie Richardson Widely available, episodes weekly Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock joins the BBC's space podcast for the third season's look at the space shuttle program and its attempt to create a reusable craft. Given her excitable voiceover – plus a bombastic soundtrack that could have come straight out of 24 – it's a drama-packed tale. Alexi Duggins Widely available, episodes weekly Do Donald Trump's political decisions look wild and incoherent? They're not, according to this measured, fascinating show: they're the classic moves of someone trying to establish an autocracy. Garry Kasparov, chess champ and lifelong democracy activist who lived under Putin for many years, hosts the second series of this look at the US's slide into a pseudo dictatorship. AD Widely available, episodes weekly This Emilia Fox-fronted podcast looks at shocking crimes and the locations where they were committed, from Wales to New South Wales. It's grisly, by-the-numbers stuff, beginning with the (already much-publicised) story of the Todt family, residents of a Florida town once owned by Disney who died in an alleged murder-suicide in 2019. Hannah J Davies All episodes available, Audible Sign up to What's On Get the best TV reviews, news and features in your inbox every Monday after newsletter promotion Defying segregation in the 40s and 50s, a South Carolina nightclub brought together Black and white patrons for performances by the likes of Little Richard and Ella Fitzgerald. This richly told series offers a history of Charlie's Place, where art defied racism – but which became, perhaps unsurprisingly, a target for the Ku Klux Klan. HJD Widely available, episodes weekly
